AZ-305 Practice Exams Bonus Set 3 – Incorrect answer?

[hassanrs]

Category: AZ305 – Design Infrastructure Solutions

You are managing an on-premises datacenter that houses a server called Agila1 that runs Microsoft SQL Server 2019. Agila1 hosts a 50-TB database named AppDB, which tracks inventory and order data for an e-commerce platform. Furthermore, Agila1 operates a specialized inventory management application, PHIInvManage, that directly integrates with AppDB to monitor and update stock levels in real time.

You plan to migrate AppDB to Azure to improve scalability and reduce hardware maintenance costs. However, PHIInvManage needs to continue running on the same server as AppDB even after the migration so that real-time updates and integrations remain fully functional.

Which Azure services are suitable for migrating AppDB, and which service will be used for the migration with the LEAST administrative effort?

Select the correct answer from the drop-down list of options. Each correct selection is worth one point.

Correct answers as per the platform:

– Migrate AppDB to: SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.

– To achieve this, use: Azure Database Migration Service (DMS).

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While the database service to migrate to i.e. SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines is correct choice, the migration service i.e. Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) is not the best choice in the scenario based on the requirement that the App PHIInvManage must reside on the same server as AppDB even after migration. The best choice for migration service is Azure Migrate.

Firstly, the explanation provided by the platform for why Azure Migrate is the incorrect choice is factually wrong. It says Azure Migrate cannot perform the migration, it only assesses, which is not true.

Azure Migrate includes a Server Migration tool that migrates entire VMs, which would include

OS

SQL Server

PHIInvManage (the app)

Disk + config

This is exactly what the scenario needs, because PHIInvManage must stay co-located with SQL Server. Azure Migrate ensures the whole server is migrated as-is, requiring no manual schema recreation, app reinstallation, or reconfiguration.

If the goal was only to migrate the database, and PHIInvManage could live elsewhere, then Azure DMS would be the correct choice. But in this case, since AppDB and PHIInvManage must remain together, Azure Migrate is the right tool.

[Nikee-TutorialsDojo]

Hello Hassanrs,

Thank you for your detailed feedback and insight regarding Azure Migrate and Azure Database Migration Service (DMS). Your points about Azure Migrate’s capability to migrate entire VMs—including the OS, SQL Server, the application (PHIInvManage), and configurations—are valid and reflect its strength as a lift-and-shift migration tool.

However, in the context of the original scenario, the recommended migration path focuses specifically on migrating AppDB (the database) to Azure while keeping the PHIInvManage application running on the same server as the database after migration. The scenario emphasizes improving scalability and reducing hardware maintenance costs by migrating the database to Azure, but it requires the application to remain tightly integrated with the database.

Here’s why Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) is considered the correct choice in this context:

• Azure DMS is explicitly designed to migrate large databases with minimal downtime and administrative overhead. It handles schema and data migration effectively while preserving the database integrity and real-time transaction capability, which aligns with the need for continuous integration with PHIInvManage.

• SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines enables running the full SQL Server environment in Azure, which supports keeping PHIInvManage on the same VM post-migration. DMS facilitates migrating the database to this environment efficiently.

• While Azure Migrate’s Server Migration tool allows migration of entire VMs—including OS and apps—it implies lifting and shifting the whole server “as-is” without inherently improving scalability or optimizing Azure-managed services. This approach may replicate existing hardware dependencies and maintenance overhead, somewhat contradicting the goal of reducing hardware management.

• Additionally, Azure Migrate is primarily positioned as a discovery, assessment, and lift-and-shift orchestration tool, rather than a specialized database migration service. Its Server Migration is suitable when moving the entire VM wholesale. Still, when the focus is on migrating the database workload to an Azure VM or managed service with minimal disruption and administrative effort, DMS provides a more streamlined and purpose-built solution.

In summary, if the requirement is strictly to migrate the database while keeping the application tightly coupled on the same server post-migration, using SQL Server on Azure VM combined with Azure DMS offers the best balance of scalability, operational efficiency, and minimal administrative effort. Azure Migrate could move the entire VM as-is, but that approach may not meet the goal of optimizing and reducing maintenance in Azure.

We appreciate your perspective and hope this clarifies why Azure DMS is favored for this scenario’s specific requirements. We will update the scenario to better align with Azure DMS as the correct migration service.

Feel free to reach out if you still have further questions.

Regards,

Nikee @ Tutorials Dojo